What’s Better than a Houseful of Dogs for the Holidays?

For two days there were no dogs.

At least no foster dogs.

It was weird. Frankie was so bored he managed to get Gracie to (sort of) play with him and he even went on a short run with me.

Reports are that both Oreo and Dixie are being loved and spoiled in their new homes.  AND each of them has their own little boy. Pretty cool. This makes me beyond happy. It’s what this whole gig is all about.

Friday evening we picked up Hula Hoop and her three pups. It was an exciting night – OPH brought up two vans filled with dogs. There was a pregnant mama dog on one of the vans who went into labor and by the time her foster mama got her home safe, she’d had six puppies! (she had two more!).

Because of the holidays, OPH had only scheduled one transport this month. Sometimes it can be hard to find available foster homes during the holidays, plus adoptions can slow down. This is tough because the shelters, on the other hand, are bursting with owner surrenders and strays that need shelter from the cold. A lot of shelter dogs die at the holidays.

This year, though, so many fosters stepped up that we could save nearly 50 dogs—only problem was that we don’t normally bring up that many dogs at once and you can’t put 50 dogs on one van. Amazingly, our transporter, SAVEDOG made it possible by finding an extra van that week to accommodate us (and not charging extra!). All told, we saved over 50 dogs when you count the 8 newborn pups! Not a bad haul for one transport!

People surprise you and so do dogs! When I volunteered to foster Hula Hoop, I had a playmate for Frankie in mind. She was listed as a young border collie.

I have a weakness for border collies, so I jumped on the opportunity. The last border collies from Scott County I fostered were a joy, despite the tragic ending for one of them.

It was only after Hula Hoop was sent for her vetting and spay that it was discovered that she was pregnant! Did I still want to foster her?

Heck yeah. Multiple border collies?! I’m in.

I was told she still had two or three weeks to go, but no one told Hula Hoop that because she had her puppies the next day in her foster home in Virginia. Just three precious, perfect little babes.

Having gotten to know Hula Hoop a little now, it’s clear that she is only a puppy herself. She is more than happy to go outside for a romp at any opportunity (even at 4 in the morning!). And unlike other foster mamas I’ve had, she is in no rush to get back inside. She will happily saunter along with me as far as I want to go. She loves exploring the woods and discovering the smells in the cornfield.

When she sees Gracie or Frankie, instead of growling protectively like most mama dogs, she wags her tail and whines. She would really, really, really like to play with them. I told her that can wait, being a mom needs to be her first priority, at least for another few weeks.

The Playground Pups – Hopscotch, Scooter, and Kickball are fat little butterballs. Considering the ratio of milk fountains to pups, this is no surprise.

Since Frankie is still jonesing for a playmate, I picked up a returned dog, Daisy Duke. She is a ton of fun. She is a compact little bundle of happy. She LOVES everyone she meets, even the cat. And wow is she gorgeous.

My pictures don’t do her justice, but not to worry, I’ll get Nancy Slattery on the task ASAP. To me, she looks like a plump, shiny little supermodel wearing bobby socks. We’re still early days here, but so far she has been an ideal guest – clearly housebroken, sleeping nicely through the night in her crate, and not chewing on anything she shouldn’t.

The house is much happier with lots of dogs. Or maybe, it’s just me who’s happier with lots of dogs.

And just a reminder – if anyone is looking for a Christmas kitten, I’ve got two looking for forever homes. They are sweet and fun and ready for their real lives. I think they’re pretty bored. Ian is rarely home (swim season has started) and when he is, he’s either eating or sleeping or doing homework. The kittens are ready for a little more action. Here’s their episode on Frankie’s YouTube channel. If you’re in the market for a kitty, shoot me an email (carasueachterberg@gmail.com) and I’ll hook you up.

If you live in or near State College, PA, there’s an opportunity this weekend that you don’t want to miss! I’ll be signing books at the Barnes & Noble along with JOHN COFFEY!! If you’re new to the blog and don’t remember the infamous JC, click here and learn his story. He remains one of our most memorable foster dogs. Nick may even travel with me to see JC. Come out and see us!

Thanks for reading!

If you’d like to know more about my blogs and books, visit CaraWrites.com or subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter (which is rarely monthly, but I’m working at it…everybody needs a goal).

If you’d like to know more about the book, Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs, check AnotherGoodDog.org, where you can find more pictures of the dogs from the book (and some of their happily-ever-after stories), information on fostering, the schedule of signings, and what you can do right now to help shelter animals! You can also do some holiday shopping that benefits shelter dogs or get your own signed copy of the book!

If you’d like to know how you can volunteer, foster, adopt or donate with OPH, click here. And if you’d like more pictures and videos of my foster dogs past and present, be sure to join the Another Good Dog facebook group.

I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to comment here on the blog, email carasueachterberg@gmail.com or connect with me on Facebook, twitter, or Instagram.

 Best,

Cara

Released August 2018 from Pegasus Books and available now: